The present invention is generally directed to toner compositions, and more specifically, to toner compositions comprised of a sulfopolyester resin, colorant and an alkylamide such as a stearyl stearamide or a stearyl erucamide. In embodiments, the present invention is generally directed to a toner composition comprised of a sulfopolyester resin, a colorant, and an alkyl amide wherein alkyl contains, for example, from about 10 to about 100 carbon atoms and an economical in situ, chemical process for the preparation of toners comprised of a sulfopolyester resin, a colorant, and alkyl amide, and which process is, for example, comprised of mixing an aqueous based emulsion of a sulfopolyester resin, an aqueous colorant dispersion and an aqueous alkyl amide dispersion of, for example, equal to or less than about 1 micron in diameter followed by heating the resulting mixture with a coagulant, such as a multivalent metal salt, to afford a toner.
Advantages associated with the toner compositions, in embodiments, disclosed herein include low melt properties of from about 120° C. to about 145° C., with high gloss and excellent release, especially release from oil-less fusers wherein images are generated by reprographic processes, and wherein the toner image is fused onto paper utilizing a fuser in the absence of an oil or release agent coating the fuser oil, and thereby generating images with a gloss, such as for example, from about 50 to about 90 gloss units as measured using the Gardner Gloss metering unit. Also, the toner compositions of the present invention display in embodiments thereof an average volume diameter of, for example, from about 1 to about 25, and preferably from about 3 to about 10 microns, and a narrow GSD of, for example, from about 1.16 to about 1.26 or about 1.18 to about 1.28, both as measured on the Coulter Counter; a particle morphology which is dependant on the particle generation process, and is from irregular shapes to nearly spherical in shape when prepared by the chemical processes illustrated herein. One chemical process, in embodiments, enables the utilization of polymers obtained by polycondensation reactions, such polymers including, for example, sulfopolyester resins, and more specifically, the sulfonated polyesters as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,348,832; 5,658,704; 5,604,076 and 5,593,807, the disclosures of each of which are totally incorporated herein by reference.
The toners of the present invention can be selected for known electrophotographic imaging methods, printing processes including color processes, digital methods, and lithography.